When Mikel Arteta got on that flight to Denver to have a chat with Stan Kroenke about the striker situation at Arsenal, there might have been another name at the back of his mind too.
We’re, of course, talking about Arthur, who has been linked intensively with a move to the Emirates, with the Spaniard said to be the one pushing the club to bring in the Brazilian.
Nothing has been agreed yet, despite the player wanting the move, because Juventus, or should we say Max Allegri, don’t want to let anyone go in midfield without having a replacement sorted.
The name of Nahitan Nandez has since emerged, giving hope to Arsenal, but there is one thing the Gunners absolutely must do if they want to stand a chance at signing Arthur: accept the Serie A side’s terms.
Not only that, but Juventus want the temporary deal to be ‘onerous’, meaning a fee paid up front, as well as Arsenal taking on ‘full payment of the wages’ plus ‘a right if redemption for an overall operation of over €45m’.
That’s quite the deal, but if Arteta wants Arthur, it seems his club will have to think about this kind of payment plan.
